Alive
by AlaeaMori
Summary: He was meant to be dead, and yet here he was very much Alive, he didn't know why but he wanted to see her though the probability was slim, just one glimpse was all he hoped for...for now at least. UlquiRukiHitsu fic.
1. Rukia

**Alive**

* * *

An urgent Captain's meeting had been called. Shinji Hirako and Kisuke Urahara were arriving in Soul Society, official business, important business; that required the presence of all Squad captains.

Captain Ukitake had hurried off towards the meeting room, no longer plagued by illness thanks to Orihime. He had forgotten something, something important; something he needed in the meeting.

A hell butterfly fluttered into the office where Kiyone and Sentaro sat working and arguing, Rukia stumbled in carrying paper work that required their attention. They were too busy and couldn't decide which one of them were better fitted to deliver that required package to Captain Ukitake at the meeting room; it was decided, Rukia will go.

* * *

She shunpo'd as fast as she could push herself, carrying the package securely in her arms. A rectangular box, slightly heavy, wrapped up in a silk cloth, the ends knotted together making a makeshift handle.

That is how she had found it, and that is how she intended to deliver it; the curiosity to what the box was and what lay within it only tingling slightly in the back of her mind.

She landed gracefully in front of the guards to the meeting room, stepping towards one she made to hand him the package to deliver to her captain within but instead was ushered in.

* * *

The captains stood at their usual places, Urahara and Shinji stood in front of the Sotaichou, their backs to her, there was another who stood in front of them, but she could not ascertain who.

None had heard the meeting room door nudge open for her, none were aware of her presence; their focus was entirely upon Shinji and Urahara, and the other that stood with them. The whispered insistency of Urahara, and collaboration of Shinji captured their entire attention; Rukia knew not what of, for she could only hear murmuring even when straining her hearing.

Quickly and quietly she moved behind the captains and towards her own, bowing low behind him, "Captain", she whispered quietly, presenting the package to him her posture still bowed,

"Ah Rukia" he replied genially, his soft voice seeming to resonate in the room, drawing the attention of everyone else. Urahara and Shinji surprised, turned sharply around towards her. Her face reddened slightly at the attention.

"Rukia" the quiet whisper cut through the deadened silence the surprise of her appearance had caused.

* * *

They were all dead; Aizen, Gin, Tosen, his Espada and the remainder of his minions.

_He_ was also supposed to be dead.

Ichigo and Orihime had witnessed him disintegrate into ash, blown away by the breeze…and yet here he was, standing before her, them…very much alive.

Ulquiorra Schiffer

* * *

She stood frozen, shell-shocked, her violet eyes wide upon beholding him standing there so casually in front of Urahara and Shinji, before the Sotaichou and all the other captains. It was he; he was the cause of their visit, he was the cause of this meeting.

She stared at him, oblivious to Ukitake thanking her and dismissing her. She stared at him; they stared at each other.

He was different, human like, as if he was wearing a gigai in Soul Society. Gone was the broken half helmet, gone was the pallid skin, black lips, cat eyes, and Espada parched-white clothing.

Instead he stood before her, the perpetual frown still present but upon porcelain skin, his emerald green eye though not catlike was never-the-less soul-piercing. His hands where stuffed into the pockets of dark green pants, a crisp white cotton shirt the sleeves rolled haphazardly to above his elbows, a sharp v-neck revealing a little of his well-toned chest and the absence of a hole at the base of his neck. The cyan lines marking each cheek as if tear lines, remained as dark scar lines.

She continued to stare at him her expression blank, he stared back, the dismissal of Ukitake and the Sotaichou by now unheard by her. She stared at him thoughtfully; he stared back just the same.

* * *

"Rukia" Byakuya's solemn voice reverberated in the room, but still she did not stir

"Oi chibi-Kuchiki!" he spoke loudly, smirking slightly, his eyes alights with humor. She broke from her reverie; stammering around she caught the humorous eyes of Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya. She scowled at him, her eyes narrowing as she tsch'd under her breath, "You can leave now chibi-Kuchiki," he said in calm authority; his eyes of triumphant humor.

She reddened, finally realising the eyes of all the captains upon her, stuttering mildly she muttered her apology to Ukitake, and then more clearly to the Sotaichou and the room at large before quickly leaving the room still very much red-faced.

* * *

She shunpo'd away from the meeting room, heading off in no clear direction; she rounded a corner and leant heavily against it.

"Ulquiorra" she muttered to herself, and then shook her head vigorously, angry at the stupidity she displayed in front of her captain, her Nii-sama, the Sotaichou and the captains at large. Minus Hitsugaya of course, she had since learnt, all thanks to being assigned to assist in paperwork due to Matsumoto's heavy injuries from the war, that he was just as smart-assed as expected of a prodigy despite his reserved manner.

She sank down, her back sliding roughly down the wall until she was sitting upon the hard ground, her mind blank "ARGH!" she screamed out loud, "How could he possibly be alive, Ichigo and Orihime saw him die, they…argh…he's so…so…different!"

Her mind drifted over the entire scene repeatedly, the whisper of her name upon his lips making her blush; how DARE he address her by her given name and so intimately too, and yet the feminine side of her blushed and was flattered, and eager…eager to hear her name from his lips again…and again.

* * *

**AN; Reviews much appreciated**

**'til next time**


	2. Ulquiorra

**Alive**

* * *

They did it; against all odds, Shinji Hirako and Kisuke Urahara had succeeded in ensuring an urgent meeting in Soul Society. It was 'official' business, important business; that would 'go down' more smoothly with the presence of all Squad Captains.

Jyushiro Ukitake, Captain of the 13th Squad possessed something, something important, something need in the meeting, and Ulquiorra hoped the Shinigami would not forget. But what if he did? The thought flickered through his ever-analytical mind, if forgotten it would be summoned, someone of his Squad would deliver it, maybe _she_ would be that someone.

If, of course, the man forgot it in the first place; _'worthless thoughts'_ he chastised himself, all based on possibility. The possibility he would forget, and the possibility he would send for it to be delivered and not leave to retrieve it himself. The possibility that if delivered it would be delivered by _her_ despite the overwhelming fact against **all** the possibilities that she isn't even a seated member and isn't possibly in a position to be regarded to deliver something of such importance to her Captain. _'Yes, worthless thoughts indeed_.' Wishful, though he would never admit it to be, but worthless all the same.

* * *

He was before the Sotaichou, Urahara and Shinji stood behind him on either side; the Captains aligned on either side of the meeting room as usual. The seriousness of this bizarre circumstance had invoked a strange eeriness into the room, such that everyone seemed to think it wise to speak in whispers though it was not necessary.

He stood quietly; it wasn't yet his time to speak, to explain…to assure. The whispered insistency of Urahara and collaboration of Shinji buzzed melodically in his ear, but his mind was elsewhere. Briefly he had caught sight of the 13th Division Captain upon their entrance, briefly enough to not be noticed, but too brief to ascertain for certain whether it had been brought or forgotten like he had previously hypothesized (and hoped). The murmuring of the Sotaichou was lost to him; he was too absorbed in the possibility of seeing her.

"Ah Rukia," the soft genial voice of Jyushiro Ukitake seemed to resonate in the room, drawing the attention of everyone present.

Instantly he turned, in time to see the surprise in Urahara and Shinji who turned sharply around towards her. He noted the subtle tinge of red gracing her porcelain cheeks at the attention received.

"Rukia," he whispered quietly, cutting through the eerie silence the surprise of her appearance had caused

* * *

They were all dead; Aizen, Gin, Tosen, the Espada and the remainder of Aizen's minions.

_He_ was also supposed to be dead.

Kurosaki Ichigo and that human girl Inoue had witnessed him disintegrate into ash, blown away by the breeze…and yet here he was, standing before _her_…and them…very much alive.

Ulquiorra Schiffer

* * *

She stood frozen, shell-shocked, her violet eyes wide upon beholding him standing there so casually amidst Urahara and Shinji, before the Sotaichou and all the other Captains…the cause of the visit, the cause of the meeting. He could not help think her an ice sculpture, of a nymph maybe, wide violet-eyes contrasting perfectly against her pure beauty.

She stared at him, oblivious to her captain's thanks and dismissal. She stared, and he returned the sentiment.

She was an enigma, existing beyond the small truths his eyes could alight upon. She was different from all others; long gone were the thoughts of a filthy shinigami, small and weak, drowning in her death-black Shinigami clothing.

Instead she stood before him, the little frown upon slightly pouting lips still present upon her porcelain face, her dark violet eyes hid the deep melancholy that existed just below the surface but were nevertheless vibrant with so many other emotions. Her hands subconsciously clutched onto the skirt of her dark green yukata, elegantly embroidered flower patterns in shimmering silver, a soft white-yellow obi secured around her tiny waist. Her hair fell as usual, but her graceful femininity emanated shyly from her.

She continued to stare, her expression seemingly blank, but he felt certainly she was awash with too many emotions to understand clearly what to express. He stared back, too confused about what it was he was feeling and too unsure of what he wasn't seeing; the dismissal of Ukitake and the Sotaichou still unheard by her, and were only a distance buzzing to himself. She stared at him thoughtfully; he cleared his mind of reasons and facts and focused on her, and in that moment, saw and thought of only her.

"Rukia," the solemn voice of Kuchiki Byakuya, 6th Division Captain and her brother, reverberated in the room, and though not mere buzzing in his ears he ignored him since she still did not stir.

* * *

"Oi Chibi-Kuchiki!" spoken loudly with a slight smirk upon his youthful face and eyes alight with humour. Ulquiorra inwardly scowled as she broke from her reverie and stammered until catching the humorous eyes of Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya, the very one responsible for drawing her attention away from him. She scowled at the young shinigami captain; Ulquiorra could not help the burst of triumph he felt at her reaction or the satisfaction when she narrowed her eyes and tsch'd under her breath at that same captain with such annoyingly gravity-defying white hair.

"You can leave now chibi-Kuchiki," spoke the gravity-defying-white-haired youthful-freak-of-a-shinigami captain. Captain or not Ulquiorra did not like the disrespectful nickname the young captain took humorous pleasure in addressing her as.

She reddened, and Ulquiorra could no help but find such an innocent feminine reaction bewitching. Realising the eyes of the other captains, she muttered a stuttered apology to her own captain and then more clearly to the Sotaichou and then to the room at large before quickly leaving the room, still very much red-faced.

Ulquiorra watched her departure until she was fully out of sight, briefly he flickered his attention to the annoyingly disrespectful young Captain before returning his attention to the Sotaichou, this time fully.

He had seen her, she had seen him; her name though never spoken aloud by him before had seemed so natural to say. He wanted to let his mind wander over thoughts and facts of her, try to pinpoint what made her so different, so unique, so fascinating. However, the time at present was more urgent, and needed his immediate attention; if all goes as plan he would make sure to see her again.

Inwardly he smiled to himself, though unsure of the reasons or logic for it, if any, he was eager to pronounce her name from his lips again, and even more eager to hear his name from _hers_.

* * *

**AN: I wrote this in like half an hour or so (pro and con of my writing 'ability')...reviews are appreciated**

**Not sure where this story will go, didn't really plan it out, it was more of an incomplete oneshot, i probably try and keep it to 6chapters or something like that, but you never know ( i sure don't)**

**'til next time**


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